While the motoring world is thinking hybrid or battery power? Kia comes along with a car which is a blast from the past and one of the most exciting vehicles we have seen for years.

The stunningly beautiful Stinger, is an elegant gran turismo based on a GT Concept from seven years ago and is now in full production.

It is certainly the most adventurous model in Kia's history and in its range-topping twin-turbo V6 guise has a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds from a 3.3 litre engine and a top speed of almost 170mph. The economy is less than 30mpg however.

There are four other versions available in the UK, all with turbocharged direct-injection engines with an eight-speed automatic gearbox and featuring electronic driver aids and connectivity systems.

The GT-Line and GT-Line S offer the choice of a 2.0-litre 244bhp T-GDi petrol engine or a 2.2-litre 197bhp CRDi turbodiesel, while the monster range-topping GT S with the 3.3-litre 365bhp twin-turbo V6 as the fastest and most powerful model also has adjustable electronic suspension damping and Brembo brakes.

On the one hand the 2.2-litre CRDi's combined fuel consumption of 50.4mpg gives it a touring range of comfortably more than 600 miles. In between there is the 2.0-litre T-GDi offering much of the best of both: acceleration from 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds with combined fuel economy of 35.8mpg, allowing it to cover more than 450 miles before the driver will need to stop for fuel.

Prices start at £32,000 going through to £41,000 and each of them will top the 150mph mark with an acceleration of 0-62mph between six and seven seconds.

Six years in the making, the Stinger was designed in Frankfurt under the eyes of Kia’s design gurus Peter Schreyer and Gregory Guillaume.

Testing was done lap after lap at the famous Nurburgring in Germany and in a display of high speed to celebrate the UK media launch of the Stinger, three GT S models took to Cornwall Airport Newquay’s runway achieving speeds of more than 150mph.

The Stinger is a classic grand tourer, not a hard-edged sports car. Kia say it was inspired by the elegant grand tourers of the 1970s and the French Riviera when motoring was all about the joy of the journey, not hanging around in queues.

Like those grand tourers the Stinger has the classic long bonnet, short front overhang, a long wheelbase and the cabin positioned towards the rear of the car.

There is a sleek front end with a new interpretation of Kia's tiger-nose grille mounted between the headlamp units. There is a large lower grille and air intake, dark chrome highlights and bold rear diffuser with quad tailpipes on petrol models and twin tailpipes on diesels.

There are 18-inch alloy wheels on GT-Line and GT-Line S versions and 19-inch wheels on GT S.

It would be difficult to find a more comfortable car. The seats are snug and enveloping, and the two in front have eight-way power adjustment – with a memory function on the driver's side – and a two-way power cushion extender plus four-way power lumbar adjustment.

The front seats and steering wheel are heated, and in GT-Line S and GT S they are also ventilated, while the outer rear seats are also heated. Switch on for either yellow or blue!

There is an aluminium-finish centre console, a chrome strip running all the way around the cabin, suede-like headlining, satin chrome interior door handles, alloy pedals, stainless steel door scuff plates and five spoked circular air vents.

Each vehicle has a head-up display which allows key information – speed, navigation instructions and audio, cruise control and blind spot detection information – to be projected onto the windscreen. GT-Line S and GT S also have a 360-degree around-view monitor.

Every model has a DAB radio with MP3 compatibility and Bluetooth with voice recognition and music streaming.

Right-hand-drive cars have undergone additional testing in the UK to meet the unique challenges of our country's roads.

Stinger may evoke memories of the golden age of gran turismos, but it is not a retro car. Its advanced driver aids take into account that roads are busier.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system acknowledges that drivers no longer use maps to find their way around but expect the car to guide them to their destination, and that they expect to remain fully connected throughout the journey.

Just about every possible safety piece of kit is there and includes Autonomous Emergency Braking; Lane Keep Assist; High Beam Assist; Driver Attention Warning and a Speed Limit Information system. An Active Bonnet is standard to provide additional protection for pedestrians' heads in a collision.

The standard touchscreen navigation has full European mapping and a Traffic Messaging Channel. Stinger also has Kia Connected Services with TomTom, giving access to traffic, speed camera and weather information plus local search details in a number of categories.

Naturally the car has the same seven-year/100,000-mile warranty as any of the Kia's other models.

The Stinger is a sign of just how far Kia has come in the last ten years. Each new model is better and better than the last.

Paul Philpott CEO and president of Kia Motors UK said: “Stinger is an important car for Kia because it says so much about where our brand is heading.”